The Sex Talk
by Rachel Wilder
Summary: Kevin consults with the Bear, then begins to reach out to Rebecca, hoping to find some of the Old Kevin again. Formerly titled


The Sex Talk 

**The Sex Talk**

* * *

Kevin looked down at the table. The wait felt interminable. He reached for his coke and took another swig.

"Sorry I'm late."

He looked up and smiled. "No, I was early. I just...you want something?" he asked.

"I'm good," the Bear answered as he pulled up to the table and set the brake on his wheelchair. "You want to stay here? Go somewhere more uh..."

"Private?" Kevin asked.

"Well, the only thing more conspicuous that one guy in a chair is two...sitting here talking to each other..."

"Thing they'll think it's some kind of gimp club?" Kevin asked.

"Undoubtedly," the Bear responded.

"Then let's go," Kevin replied.

* * *

The Bear reached for the door and pushed it open as he wheeled through the entryway into his apartment.

"Very nice," Kevin commented as he entered the apartment. "You do this on a city salary?"

The Bear laughed. "No, there are a couple benefits of being injured on the job."

Kevin followed him into the apartment. "Yeah, see, being the complicit victim in a drunk driving accident of someone who's underinsured is not as financially rewarding." Kevin wheeled over to the window overlooking the city.

"Well, it has its advantages now and then," the Bear replied. He turned his chair and faced Kevin. "But, you didn't come to compare insurance settlements with me, did you?"

Kevin shook his head, the red flush creeping up slightly from his neck.

"I told you before..."

"Yeah, you haven't been anywhere before that I'm not going now..." Kevin finished.

"You must have cleared some things up with your friend...what was her name?" the Bear asked.

"Rebecca."

"Yeah, Rebecca," the Bear echoed. "And it's going somewhere?"

Kevin pivoted his chair back to face the window. "I'm not sure...but we've both...well, we've admitted that something's happening and I just...well, I was a boy scout and I like to be prepared, so..."

"So, you need the talk," the Bear answered.

"Yeah, and for some reason I think this is going to be slightly different than the one my mom gave me...or the one we got in CCD. I mean...is the rhythm method still an effective birth control method for my partner and me?"

The Bear laughed. "Well, if there's one thing you don't have to worry about anymore, it's probably your rhythm."

Kevin turned and faced him. "Huh?"

The Bear shook his head. "You know, I don't mind showing you the ropes, but there are some fundamental things they should really cover in rehab."

"Bad insurance...I did most of mine at home," Kevin replied.

The Bear nodded his head. "I see. Well...fact is...we're just not that potent...well, not in our ability to satisfy, but in the case of proliferation, you're going to need some external assistance. That's not to say you won't have kids some day, but if you're afraid of an unplanned pregnancy, well...it's just not your greatest fear anymore."

Kevin stared at him, his face covered with confusion.

"It's like your gun has been reloaded...but with blanks."

"English please," Kevin replied. "I'm only a high school graduate."

The Bear laughed. "Sorry, yeah, I say I'd offer you the straight deal, didn't I?"

"Yeah," Kevin answered.

"Well, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, but first of all...there are many ways to satisfy yourself and the woman you're involved with...but when it comes to what you've known before, it's going to be different now."

Kevin nodded his head.

"You've gotten used to learning a new way for other things, haven't you," the Bear said.

"Absolutely," Kevin answered.

"Well, there are things you can do to function the way you used to think of as normal, like pills or shots...or you can do things with your partner, but fact is, the most satisfying moves are going to be stuff you never dreamed of before."

Kevin looked confused. "I don't get it..."

"What happens now when someone touches your chest, or down along your ribs...in your arm pit?" the Bear asked.

A slight smile crossed Kevin's face.

"Exactly...and if you're with a woman that you trust, you need to feel the rhythm between both of you...remind her of where you can feel her touch...get her to work with what still works for you...and if that other old stuff if important like having a hard-on, then you talk to your doctor and get something prescribed. You can still do it the old-fashioned way, but you're going to be more satisfied and you're going to satisfy her if you share the things that still work for both of you...make her happy and let her make you happy."

"So like..." Kevin's voice trailed off.

"So, go down on her. Man, chicks love that, more than they would ever let you know...and get her to go down on you...maybe not the old way, but teach her about your new erogenous zones...cause you have them, even if you don't know yet. I assume that you care about this woman..."

"Yeah...I do," Kevin said.

"Then look her in the eye and tell her what you need...and listen to her when she tells you what she needs. Fact is, I think I can do more for a woman and she can do more for me than before I lost my legs," the Bear said.

"Seriously?" Kevin asked.

"Absolutely," the Bear responded. "I'll be honest with you, it's different, but different doesn't have to mean bad...it's just how it is now and in many ways, I think you'll find out it's better than it was before."

"Well, first of all, she's got her own place and there's little chance that my brother Luke will bust in on us..." Kevin began.

"Good idea," the Bear answered. "Be somewhere that you don't have to worry about the time...and be honest with one another. Don't get drunk, don't turn off the lights...when you get to the point, either with Rebecca or another woman, make sure that you do it at your own pace."

Kevin laughed. "Yeah, that would be a first."

"I hear there are miles of woman that can attest to the powers of Kevin Girardi...," the Bear teased.

"You heard that?" Kevin replied.

"My legs are paralyzed, I'm not deaf," the Bear replied, teasing Kevin.

"Not a shining moment," Kevin answered.

"Don't worry about it...fact of the matter is, if you are as much of a horn dog as you professed to be, your family already knows. Not that I condone or condemn such behavior, but it's part of the process for your family to realize that you're still you...and if being friendly with the ladies was one of those things before your accident, then it's not a stretch of the imagination that it might be one of those things now. You're how old?"

"Nineteen," Kevin replied.

"Peak of your sexual performance," the Bear said.

"Don't remind me," Kevin answered.

"No, I absolutely need to remind you, because just because you broke your back, because not everything works as it used to doesn't mean that you need to stop living your life. You've got a job, you're playing sports...women are a natural next step. Embrace that."

Kevin stretched out his hand and the Bear took it in his. "Thanks, man...it's good to talk to someone who's been down the same road."

The Bear held onto Kevin's hand in a strong handshake. "Hey, you'll do it yourself someday when you meet someone who's about to follow down the same path that we've both been sent."

FIN   



End file.
